The Green Venice: Damvix - Saint-Hilaire-la-Palud - Arçais

de fr

Relaxation and a change of scenery guaranteed! Come and enjoy the peace and quiet, the authentic landscape and the rich flora and fauna.
The Marais Poitevin, also known as the "Green Venice" for its tourist attractions, is a vast area of water and greenery where nature lovers will find peace and tranquillity along 400 km of canals.

Details

n°256043
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 14.30 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 05 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 6 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 6 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 10 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 2 m
Downloads
Open in the mobile app
Download GPX GPX
Download PDF PDF

Photos

The pollarded ash trees of the marshes
The Green Venice: Damvix - Saint-Hilaire-la-Palud - Arçais
The Green Venice: Damvix - Saint-Hilaire-la-Palud - Arçais

Description of the walk

Park in one of the car parks near the Conches landing stage in Damvix on the D104.

(S/E) At the village exit sign, turn right towards Camping des Conches, Rue du Grand Port. Continue straight ahead until you reach a bridge crossing the Grande Rigole or Garette canal. Cross the bridge and continue straight ahead.

(1) At a T-junction 300 metres from the bridge, turn left. Continue along the main footpath (wide white path).

(2) At the first houses at the Devise crossroads, turn left towards Arçais.

(3) Join and follow the cycle path that runs alongside the D101 for about 100 metres.

(4) Then turn left onto the cycle path at the "impasse" sign to reach the centre of Arçais via Rue du Coursault. At the junction with the D102, turn left and then left again at the next junction to pass in front of the church and join Rue du Grand Port.

(5) At the boat hire, turn right and follow the Bief de la Garenne north-east. At the intersection at a bridge, continue straight ahead on the Chemin du Bief Minet to reach the Sèvre Niortaise. Continue for about 300 metres until you see a sign for a "barque à chaîne" (chain boat).

(6) Take the chain boat to cross. Once on the other side, turn left and follow the Sèvre to the Damvix locks.

Then return to the starting point by crossing the Sèvre again (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 4 m - Parking at the Damvix exit opposite the pier
  2. 1 : km 1.77 - alt. 2 m - T-junction
  3. 2 : km 4.84 - alt. 5 m - Carrefour de la Devise
  4. 3 : km 5.2 - alt. 9 m - Cycle path
  5. 4 : km 6.04 - alt. 10 m - Cycle path - Dead-end road
  6. 5 : km 7.86 - alt. 4 m - Boat hire
  7. 6 : km 9.35 - alt. 3 m - Chain boat - Sèvre Niortaise (fleuve)
  8. S/E : km 14.3 - alt. 4 m - Parking at the Damvix exit opposite the pier

Notes

In hot weather, bring a hat and water bottles.
Walking shoes are strongly recommended.

Option: In Arçais, you can shorten the route by taking the side road that runs alongside the D102 and D104 and leads directly back to Damvix. However, this means missing out on the traditional chain boat that takes you from one side of the Sèvre to the other.

Worth a visit

When crossing Damvix and Arçais, it is possible to modify the route to visit the two villages.

Reviews and comments

4.2 / 5
Based on 30 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.1 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.3 / 5
Route interest
4.1 / 5
philjomar
philjomar

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 19, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Hike completed on 18 June 2025.
A very beautiful hike with no difficulties.
It's a shame that after crossing with the chain boat (waypoint 6), the return to the starting point is along the water, but mostly on asphalt and in direct sunlight.
Fortunately, this section is very quiet, at least at this time of year.
Contrary to some comments left on the website, the passage with the chain boat is absolutely safe. It's really worth doing because it's so typical.
I highly recommend this hike.
Best regards, fellow hikers

Machine-translated

Cathou5017
Cathou5017

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 28, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A rather pleasant hike.
The first part is shaded, passing through Arcais, a very pretty village, and ending up on the banks of the Sèvre (don't forget your hat and water as it's very sunny)
The boat ride in Chaine is unique and not to be missed!
I met lots of people along the way.

Machine-translated

hercule
hercule

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 29, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

ROUTE TAKEN ON 16 JUNE 2024 WITH A GROUP FOR ME, USING THE CHAIN-POWERED BOAT PROVED TO BE PARISH SPECIFIC TO BRITTANY
OUT OF 22 ADULT HIKERS, NO ONE DARED TO TRY
OTHER THAN TURNING BACK, THERE WERE NO OTHER OPTIONS FOR THE ROUTE
SIGN PROHIBITING PEDESTRIANS, FURTHER ON, FOOTBRIDGE IN VERY POOR CONDITION
PRIVATE PROPERTY

Machine-translated

mlegarrec
mlegarrec

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 20, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hello,

Good news, the chain boat is up and running again!

Otherwise, it was a lovely trip with varied landscapes.

Machine-translated

benoit POINCARE
benoit POINCARE

Overall rating : 2.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 06, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Very busy route : No

Hike with a group of 17 people, very pleasant until ARCAIS where we had lunch and took a guided tour of the marshes. But then the chain boat was no longer available. The only solution was to walk an extra 3 km to cross the footbridge further on, as the option of returning via the D102 was pointless and dangerous with the cars. In my opinion, this hike should be temporarily removed

Machine-translated

FGECAYA
FGECAYA

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 05, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Boat out of service for several months. Information sign in Arcais. Return to DAMVIX mandatory via the roadside. What a shame.

Machine-translated

philouis
philouis
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 02, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A beautiful hike, shaded at first, then mostly sunny. Normally there is little tarmac.
We didn't want to shorten the route to enjoy the chain boat. Unfortunately, we had to turn back because it wasn't working. As a result, the return to Damvix was a little longer than expected and not very pleasant due to the traffic on the D102 and D104 roads.

Machine-translated

hp79
hp79

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 13, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

High temperature for 13 May. If we had paid attention at the end of the route, there would have been no shade from the chain boat in Damvix and the sun would have been beating down hard

In hot weather, it would be best to start the hike in Arçais.

Machine-translated

babourando17
babourando17

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 24, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

leaving the boat chain, we turned right and then took the first path on the left to avoid the tedious straight road that would have taken us back to Damvix. We were able to wind our way through the marshes and their yellow irises in full bloom...

Machine-translated

emarecal
emarecal

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 16, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

Some interesting parts and others less bucolic (cycle path along the road)
The boat trip is very enjoyable and fun

Machine-translated

veniga
veniga

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 23, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Very busy route : Yes

The circuit was so-so.

Machine-translated

140869
140869

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 10, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

a very pleasant hike, especially the start through the wild marshland (herons, muskrats, hares, etc.)
crossing the Sèvre River in a chain-powered boat is a must for anyone who hasn't done it before...
a popular route, as we found other walkers and cyclists.

Machine-translated

Ericochets
Ericochets

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 14, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

I'm familiar with the area, so I had no difficulty and I think the description is accurate!
There was indeed a period when the chain boat was out of service, but it is currently possible to cross.
The last paved section was no problem at this time of year, with no tourists or bikes and pleasant weather!
It's probably different in summer as there's no shade!

Machine-translated

foyer laique
foyer laique

Hello, all hikes are scheduled for September

Machine-translated

noelle martin
noelle martin
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 03, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A beautiful route with pleasant landscapes featuring canals and pollarded ash trees; the chain-pulled boat crossing adds to the enjoyment of the walk.

Machine-translated

Other walks in the area

Walking The Sentier des Rainettes in Damvix

Visorando member
Le Sentier des Rainettes à Damvix
↔9.02 km ↗+2 m ↘-3 m ◔2h 35 ▲Easy
⚑Departure from Damvix (Vendée)
Between fields and small woods, between shellfish beds, canals and the Sèvre Niortaise, this loop starting from the port of Damvix is accessible to all.Along the route, there are some lovely spots for picnics and even small restaurants by the water in Bazoin and Damvix where you can stop for a bite to eat. This walk can be continued by boat on the Sèvre Niortaise (boats can be hired at the port of Damvix). You will come across fishermen, swans, cows and ducks and hear tree frogs croaking.

Walking The Marais Poitevin in Arçais

Visorando member
Le Marais Poitevin à Arçais
↔9.32 km ↗+10 m ↘-10 m ◔2h 40 ▲Easy
⚑Departure from Arçais (Deux-Sèvres)
Hike in the heart of the Marais Poitevin (wet marshes) starting from Arçais.

Walking Around the Marais Boutin in Bazoin

Visorando member
↔5.25 km ↗+2 m ↘-2 m ◔1h 30 ▲Easy
⚑Departure from La Ronde (Charente-Maritime)
A peaceful walk in the Marais Poitevin along the banks of the canals and the Sèvre Niortaise, where you will pass beautiful houses with blue shutters typical of the region.

Walking The Croix des Marys and the Bazoin locks

Visorando member
La Croix des Marys et les Écluses de Bazoin
↔7.62 km ↗+3 m ↘-3 m ◔2h 10 ▲Easy
⚑Departure from La Ronde (Charente-Maritime)
This is a short loop in the Marais Poitevin, starting at the Croix des Marys and following the Mignon canal before returning along the Sèvre Niortaise.Please note: read the comments in the Practical Information section

Walking The wild marshes of Le Mazeau

Visorando member
↔8.62 km ↗+2 m ↘-2 m ◔2h 30 ▲Easy
⚑Departure from Le Mazeau (Vendée)
A walk in the wild marshes of Le Mazeau, criss-crossed by a multitude of canals and ditches. Here, summer and winter alike, the light is always beautiful through the poplar plantations!

Walking Loop around the wild marshes of Monfaucon

Visorando member
Boucle du marais sauvage de Monfaucon
↔8.60 km ↗+6 m ↘-6 m ◔2h 30 ▲Easy
⚑Departure from Saint-Hilaire-la-Palud (Deux-Sèvres)
Located in the commune of Saint-Hilaire-La-Pallud, the start is at a place called Monfaucon in the small car park near the pier. The route begins with a small paved road to the place called La Roche. This start is not the most interesting, but you will quickly forget it as you discover the wild marshland, first along the Vieux Mignon and then the canals, which you follow on a small white gravel path.

Walking In the wet marshland of Saint-Hilaire-la-Palud

Association / Club / Walk leader
Dans le marais mouillé de Saint-Hilaire-la-Palud
↔11.33 km ↗+4 m ↘-4 m ◔3h 15 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from Saint-Hilaire-la-Palud (Deux-Sèvres)
As you follow this route through the wet marsh, you will discover its unique features, such as the trous de bris (former clay extraction sites used for tile manufacturing until the 1980s), poplar groves and a wide variety of plants and animals.

Walking Around the Jeune Autise in Maillezais

Association / Club / Walk leader
Autour de la Jeune Autise à Maillezais
↔11.17 km ↗+14 m ↘-14 m ◔3h 15 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from Maillezais (Vendée)
This path between the "wet" and "dry" marshes, passing by a characteristic feature of the marsh (the Aqueduct), will take you from the Romanesque church to the majestic Abbey of Saint-Pierre de Maillezais.

For more walks, use our search engine .

The GPS track and description are the property of this route's author. Please do not copy them without permission.